Possible newbie with questions

[lil_miss_understood]

Okay, so I'm considering cloth. I have been this whole pregnancy and now VERY belatedly getting around to it.
What do you suggest for someone whose DH is convinced CDing is terrible (inconvenient, unsanitary, stinky, difficult, and costly)? I'd like to possibly try to sew my own as we go- has anyone done that? How long does it take to make a diaper? And can you tell me about "the diaper pail"? Laundry?
I know most of this is in the stickies or FAQs but... I'm lazy and impatient. Not to mention I haven't got much time before the new LO is born so I really just want to go and clean the baby's room right now and get my house organized and in order, iykwim.
TIA.

[changingseasons]

Hey JR- thought I would come on over and find your thread.

We started with Bum Genius, as they seemed the easiest for newbies, and DP really liked the look of them and how they work. They are pretty easy, they fit well, and they're one size fits all so you don't have to replace them as your kiddo gets bigger.

Now, after using them for 19 months (well, only at night now since we've been ECing for a year), I really don't like them as much. The inserts are a pita to put in, take out, put in, take out.... And the synthetic fabric on the inside of the dipe (which works really well for keeping babe's skin dry) is REALLY bad about holding soap residue, so I am constantly having to strip the diapers. I still do use the BG's for nighttime though, because I can stuff in a couple inserts to hold all the pee, and it keeps her dry.

My favorites now are my WAHM bamboo diapers (I've gotten most off eBay from different WAHMs). They are SO soft, and naturally antimicrobial. And they aborb a lot and don't have soap residue issues. If you're handy with a sewing machine, you could totally make your own bamboo dipes.

So for newborn poo- the pocket dipes are nice, less messy... when you get thicker poos, I prefer other dipes- like contours are quick and easy (I just throw one on under a cover, no pins or anything), or AIO's that have a floating insert (not all sewn together- those take FOREVER to dry), or just my good old snap bamboo dipes.

Ok... I'm done rambling for now. Feel free to ask more specific questions, or PM me if you want.

eta: Aah- I totally forgot. I use a dry-pail diaper bucket. It's really just a trash can with a flip-up lid that I bought from Fred Meyer. You want to make sure that you don't get one that is totally sealed- you want the air to get in, otherwise it can get smelly. And I bought a couple wetbags so I can swap them out during laundry. I just throw everything in (poo and all, well until you get the thicker poo), and then toss it all in the washer, including the wetbag. It takes a bit, but you'll get the hang of flipping the wetbag inside out while dumping the dipes into the washer so that your hands stay dry.

[Michigan Mama]

That's a big question! What's easiest and most convenient differs for everyone. Many people like pocket or all-in-one (aio) diapers because they are easy to put on (especially for dh). But I really get sick of stuffing pockets, so I tend to go for fitteds with covers (plus for my ds with runny poo, they seem to hold things in better.)

I use a dry diaper pail, actually 2. I have one by the changing table for pee diapers and another in the bathroom/laundry room for poopy ones. For a dh that isn't fully supportive, he might go for the flushable liners, since you don't have to deal with as much poop. You just flush it away. But anyway, ebf poop can just get thrown in teh machine and it dissolves.

My wash routine goes like this: cold rinse (to get excess poo off), hot wash with some detergent (how much depends on what kind), hot rinse. Done. Hang to dry if it's sunny and I'm motivated. Dry on medium or low if not. I wash everything together, including wipes.

Cd'ing can be as cheap or expensive as you want it to be. There's a new thread on here with a link how to use a receiving blanket as a diaper. Seriously, you can do it really cheaply if you want to! Prefolds are really cheap, but might scare a hesitant dh.

With prefolds, covers, accessories, etc, you might spend $250 or less on an entire diaper stash. With pockets maybe $400-500 and up. But considering you will spend at least $1200 on disposibles, maybe more depending on brand and age of potty learning...it's still a huge savings to use cloth. I never noticed our utilities going up in cost. I wash every 2-3 days.

When I started with cloth, I ordered a sampler of different pockets and a handful of prefolds with a couple covers. So glad I did because i got to see what really fit and worked for us. I started sewing them, too, which is doable. There is a learning curve, and it takes time you might not have right now, so if i were you, I'd buy a nb stash and decide later if I felt like sewing or not.

hth!

[phoenix78]

Newbie here

I have just started CD with my 6 week old. I highly rec trying a sampler pack first (got an organic sampler from the Green Diaper Store)...CD was much simpler than I thought (started with AIO and pockets) and now that I got those down, am moving onto prefolds. My reluc DH has no prob once i showed him how everything works. I LOVE the Bum Genius AIO Organic - we haven't had any leaks yet, they are adorable, and supposedly she can use until potty trained as they are one siz. Also like hemp fitted diapers with Imse Vimse wraps - so soft. Still trying to figure out the prefolds but I'm getting the hang of them. So my stash ended up being 14 Bum Genius AIO Organic, 6 Hemp/Organic Cotton Diaperaps Hemp Fitted Diapers, 1 Organic Caboose, 1 Bamboozle, 1 Swaddlebees Eco Nappi, 6 Organic Unbleached prefolds, and 3 Imse Vimse Covers. I keep a large wet bag upstairs and one downstairs for diaper changes. I follow same laundering as poster above...I just posted a thread tryin to still work out some questions I have but have really found CD soo much easier than I thought. So far so good!

[atlambert]

My DH was reluctant, too, but is now on board!

I wanted to do CD throughout my pregnancy, too, but I knew DH would be reluctant, so I waited to get as much info before bringing it up! I discovered One Size Pockets, and we bought those exclusively for DH to use when changing DS. I use prefolds w/ covers, and we use pockets when DH changes dipes (which is not nearly often enough!!), and at night, as the first covers I got were bad about leaking when wet overnight. I just got new covers yesterday, and the bed was dry last night!

A warning, I hear that AIOs and pockets don't last as long as PFs, so you may have to buy more as they wear out, but I think that's like half way through a second kid, not any time soon!

[kirstenb]

When I started with DS he was 7 months old and I knew nothing about cloth. We started with Fuzzi Bunz and Bum Genius which were very easy and very close to sposies. They were also easy for DH who wanted nothing to do with cloth. That still makes up a majority of our stash for him along with some WAHM diapers. DS is still in the same size and they should last him until he PL. With the new babe I know what I am doing and am much more comfortable so I will get a mix of prefolds and pockets.

We don't use cloth wipes 100% of the time (DH refuses for some reason even though they are SO MUCH BETTER) but it's so easy to toss them in the wash with the dipes and they really do clean up nasty diapers better. I'll be buying a lot more so I can eliminate disposible wipes altogether.

We have a regular trash can with a tight fitting lid and a vent in the back that we put in the laundry room with a wet bag inside. I wash every two days or so and I have never noticed a smell from the trash can.

[Juliacat]

I don't know anything about sewing, but cloth diapering is less stinky and costly than disposables, the laundry isn't noticeably different from washing dirty clothes, and I don't think there's anything else wrong with it.

[lil_miss_understood]

Thank you, everyone, for the replies! (A special thanks to CS for hunting the thread down. )
I've been reading and re-reading this thread over the last couple of days. I'm still trying to figure out what kind of diapers to get and I'd really like to try different ones, as somebody suggested but I can't find a "sampler pack". I'm hoping to go to Fletcher's this weekend and was hoping maybe they carry one.
I bought a pack of 'sposies a few weeks ago (Maybe it was only a week? I don't remember, time's flying!) just in case the baby came earlier than anticipated (and in case DH outright said no to the whole idea of CDing) and also so I wouldn't feel so pressured about making a decision about "which type of CD is best". I'm thinking eventually we'll probably end up with some AIOs or pockets for DH and prefolds for me, but I can also see that being totally reversed. He doesn't spend as much time with the kids as I do but when he does spend time with the kids, it's much more one-on-one (and less multi-tasking), iykwim.
Anyway, even if Fletcher's doesn't carry a sampler pack, maybe I can pick up a couple of different styles anyway for "testing".
You've all mentioned wet bags, also. Could you tell me a little bit more about them? What are they, exactly? Obviously, a bag you put dirty diapers in but...
Also, I keep "hearing" about diaper sprayers? Do any of you have one? Obviously, it's not a necessity but if you have one, have you found it exceptionally helpful?

[Galatea]

A Diaper Sprayer will cut down on the grossness factor, and my dh calls it a necessity. I agree. You get all the poop off in the toilet and a much less dirty diaper goes into the washer.

Using velcro all-in-ones or pockets like bumGenius! 3.0 or SposoEasys will make it as easy as a disposable.

As for your husband finding it unsanitary, tell him that sposies "blow out" all the time and you end up with poop all over baby's clothes and your clothes, and sometimes even up into the baby's hair. Talk about unsanitary! Also, I'm assuming you wash his and your underwear in the washer... there is already fecal bacteria all over all your clothes from this and he doesn't seem to care... baby poop is not nearly as gross as adult poop.

Cloth is WAY cheaper than disposables... like $2000 cheaper.

A wet bag is a bag made from the waterproof fabric PUL that you put the dirty diapers in when you are out. A pail liner is just a bigger version.

[changingseasons]

I never used a sprayer, but we starting ECing around 7 months- right about the time when you'd actually need one (with the thicker poo.)

This is the wetbag (one of them) that we have. We don't actually hang it though- just put it in a tall trash can.

And honestly- cloth can be as cheap or as expensive as you want it to be. We went cheap- about 12 Bum Genius, 12 prefolds initially. All together around $200. Since then I've added a few contours and a few WAHM bamboo diapers, and some cloth wipes, so I've spent about $40 on top of that. As long as you're doing diapers every couple days (which you definitely want to do), you really won't need that many. Well, in the beginning of course you'll go through them faster...

And I would highly recommend a service in the beginning- it made my transition to cloth so much easier. You just throw the dipes in a bucket, they come pick them up and bring you new ones. No rinsing, washing, nothing. Very nice for your first couple months pp. Tell people that's what you want for gift ideas- gift certificates to a diaper service.

[lil_miss_understood]

Originally Posted by changingseasons

And I would highly recommend a service in the beginning- it made my transition to cloth so much easier. You just throw the dipes in a bucket, they come pick them up and bring you new ones. No rinsing, washing, nothing. Very nice for your first couple months pp. Tell people that's what you want for gift ideas- gift certificates to a diaper service.

There isn't a diaper service in the area... unless it's a geriatric one. (We live in a town voted "The Best Retirement Community" 5 times in a row or something crazy.)

[phoenix78]

http://www.greendiaperstore.com/OrganicSampler.html

This was the sample pack I bought, def on the more expensive side compared to prefolds but made my intro to CD easier. (I still can't get the folds done right!) They do have several other sampler packs too here.

[changingseasons]

Yikes, JR- I forgot something really important!! If you want to do prefolds (cheap!!), don't try and do any kind of fancy folds and pins or snappis or anything... just fold it in thirds, put it under the butt, and put a cover over it. So much simpler than trying to get it folded and pinned and fitting right. The newborn poo will leak off of it onto the cover, but you have to wash those anyway... (Fold in thirds width-wise for a girl, lenth-wise with the end doubled over for a boy.)